I’m a chef living on a superyacht – here’s what life is REALLY like below deck. And from 16-hour work days to ‘absolutely no privacy’, it’s anything but a ‘permanent holiday’

Rubbing shoulders with the rich, traveling to the world’s most exotic locations and staying for free on luxurious vessels – working aboard a superyacht might sound like a dream job.

But life below deck has its challenges, according to Abbi Robertson, a superyacht chef who has spent seven years sailing on the high seas.

Beneath the glamorous surface, the seasoned yachtie reveals there are months spent away from family and 16-hour days – and no privacy.

The 31-year-old, from Buckinghamshire, spoke to MailOnline Travel about the ups and downs of the job. “I wouldn’t change my experiences for anything, but you have to accept that this lifestyle comes with downsides,” she said.

Abbi began her superyacht journey in 2017, shortly after leaving a steady job as a project manager for a double-door company. She had no plans other than ‘maybe go out and travel a bit’ and fell into the lifestyle by chance.

She completed a compulsory education course in Antibes, France. And within a few days she was on a 50 meter long motor yacht in St. Tropez. After working as a crew member for a year, Abbi saved her tips to pay for a culinary course at the Ashburton Chef Academy and moved to work in the galley.

Abbi currently works on a mid-sized superyacht, serving a maximum of eight guests and five crew members.

She works on a rotating basis, spending 10 weeks at sea and 10 weeks on land. Before that, she worked full-time and spent most of her time on board with only six weeks of vacation a year.

A typical day begins at 6:30, where you prepare and serve breakfast and plan the day’s meals. She then serves lunch, which varies between a three-course gourmet menu or sharing plates ‘depending on what the guests prefer’.

Abbi will take a quick break after lunch before preparing a ‘sweet treat’ or afternoon tea at 15.00 and canapés for cocktail hour at 18.00. At 19.00 she serves dinner and ‘ignites the mountain of dishes in the galley’.

After dessert preparation and drawing up a menu for the next day, she will finally rest at 23:00. Ready to do it all over again.

One thing that surprised Abbi about working on a superyacht is how hard the work is.

She said: ‘It’s an easy assumption to assume we’re on a “permanent holiday” and as soon as the guests leave we hang out on the yacht and live it up. But in reality, work on a boat is never finished.

‘A superyacht must function perfectly and look brand new every time guests come aboard. It takes a hell of a lot of work and many late nights to achieve.’

And there are plenty of difficulties that come with spending long periods at sea.

From finding it impossible to cook while ‘the boat is jumping’ to the lack of work-life balance and routine, Abbi said the lifestyle isn’t ‘for everyone’.

She said: ‘The obvious downsides are being far from family, not having any privacy or any kind of work-life balance – tough when you’re living for work – but the thing I’ve found hardest as I’ve gotten older, is the lack of routine. or consistency. You build up a group of friends in one port and get used to your life there, but at any moment you could be told by the captain that you are sailing to the other side of the world and you have to start all over again.’

But for Abbi, working on a superyacht is ‘worth it’.

Highlights, she said, include visiting ‘some incredible countries that I’ve never even heard of before’, with standouts including ‘sailing through the Strait of Magellan in Patagonia, spending a whole year in Tahiti and visiting the islands of Vanuatu’.

A close second to travel are the ‘amazing people’ she has met along the way. “When you have a good crew around you, it hardly even feels like work,” she said.

Abbi added: ‘You often have to go with the flow and roll with the punches. If you can do that, then you can enjoy a fantastic lifestyle and experience once-in-a-lifetime destinations.’

For more from Abbi, visit her on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@abbicooks.uk (earlier www.tiktok.com/@abbicooks) or Instagram here – www.instagram.com/abbicooks/.